Night Walk
by brennan8319
Summary: Shannon joins Wash's team for the Night Walk to get away from the strains of married life. A few unexpected turns reveals character and emotions that neither of the two were aware of. K for now but let me just say that it won't stay that way.
1. Chapter 1

"Keep tight, people! We're entering Nyco territory!" Lt. Alicia Washington, or Wash as they knew her, shouted to the group of soldiers around her.

It was late afternoon and the first dusk was quickly creeping through the jungle, bringing along with it the chittering and clattering calls of various species of pre-historic life that made their home there. Taylor had commissioned another Night Walk where teams were sent out into the open jungle to assert close-lying boundaries and to check on way stations along certain routes. No rovers were used for fear that they might attract unnecessary attention and so a select few were sent to brave the open jungle.

The Night Walk was a two day expedition that usually happened once every six months or so but with the increase in rebel activity from the Sixers, they were forced to up that total. The Sixers were taking to vandalizing research stations outside the borders of Terra Nova, stealing fuel, food and any other supplies they could get their hands on. They usually left the stations in complete abandon, breaking down even the communication centers for good measure. There were four teams out on this Night Walk and Wash was leading one of them - a team of twelve men, one of whom was Jim Shannon who was following closely in her wake, trying not to jump at every sound coming from the dense surroundings.

"I still don't see the point in this," she said to no one in particular but knew that Jim was listening. "Taylor knows that the Sixers are planning to advance. I don't feel comfortable having half of our men out here when we should be manning our boundaries. He's made himself too vulnerable," she finished as she swiped at a low-hanging branch before continuing forward.

The footsteps of her team could be heard all around her as they crunched through the underbrush but Wash couldn't see any of them for the camo that they all wore and the confident covering of the jungle. It would seem that they could hide very well from each other but when it came to night hunters like Slashers and Nycos, it was a different story.

"Which brings me to my next question," Jim said from behind her, his rifle clutched tightly under his arm with his finger at the ready on the sensitive trigger. The open jungle made him nervous and he didn't care who knew it. And when James Shannon was nervous, he talked… a lot.

"What was your first question?" Wash asked as she turned to find him swirling quickly to take aim at nothing. He stayed frozen for a few seconds, breathing shallow, and then once confirming that there were no attackers on the prowl, relaxed visibly before walking again.

"What? Oh, we've been having a really great conversation for the past half hour but it's all been in my head," he said with a wave of his hand and then fell in step alongside her for the first time. She eyed him with puzzlement as if he was crazy and waited for him to continue.

"Why is it you never leave Taylor's side?" he asked finally. "That was my question by the way."

"The commander has a knack for getting himself into all kinds of trouble. I've just always been there to have his back. Habit I guess." She let her gaze fall from his face and started scanning their path again, taking time to listen for the footsteps that told her she was still surrounded by her men.

"Are you two… you know…" Jim asked with a grin and studied her face. She didn't give anything away though, Wash's expression remained gripped in concentration as they walked.

"Now that you mention it, you've been following him around like a puppy ever since you arrived," she said. "Are you two… you know…" Wash looked up as Jim chuckled and just shook her head.

Jim fell silent suddenly and stood rooted to the spot. His arm shot up to stop Wash. "Wait, shh…"

"What? What is it?"

"I heard something," Jim answered and trained his ears to their surroundings. Wash followed suit.

"I don't hear anything," she said and it came out in a terse whisper.

Her words were barely cold when a high pitched screeching rolled through the bushes around them and Jim felt it cut to his very bones. All of a sudden there were shouts and calls from the men around them and although he couldn't quite make out what they were saying because they were all talking at the same time, he was sure he heard the word "Nycos" come up a few times. Jim met Wash's gaze and read the exhilarated terror in her eyes, she lived for this kind of stuff he knew and although he was terrified, he trusted that he was fine as long as he stuck with her.

"Listen up!" she bellowed into the trees and the panic from her team died down. Jim looked around and still couldn't see another body but he could feel them, they were just as tense as he was. "Dark is coming and it's coming quick. We need to work our way east to the Techtron research cube! We can bunk down there for the night!" There were a few "yessirs" and "yes Lieutenants" and Jim was ushered off course by the moving troop.

"Need a change of underwear, Shannon?" she asked, her eyes still peeled on the as yet unmoving bushes.

"Please, I've been here long enough to know that the scary ones don't come out during the day," he said, trying to sound okay but he was still shaking inside.

"The sun is setting fast," Wash challenged and this time she looked at him, wanting to see his expression. She was rewarded when a flash of terror flitted behind his eyes. "Nasty things come out to play round about now. That screeching sound, that was the round up call. They're getting ready to hunt."

Jim considered her words for a while, nervously shifting his gaze all around him. The team had diverged once again but this time they were keeping closer than when they had first left the village that morning. He could even spot a few of them as they walked.

"I'm armed and I don't scare easily, contrary to popular belief. I used to make my living fighting bad guys remember?"

"These bad guys you fought, did they have claws, razor sharp teeth and try to eat you?" Wash asked in all seriousness, she was enjoying freaking him out.

"Look, I may not be a decorated soldier but I've been out here on my own before and I survived. Let's not forget that."

"Shannon, shut up." Wash's tone was low and urgent as she spoke. She stopped walking and Jim let up a few steps ahead when he noticed she had fallen back.

"No," he continued. "I deserve the chance to defend myself and-"

The rest of his sentence caught in his throat as he found himself staring down the barrel of her handgun. Wash didn't say a word as she aimed straight for him. Frozen to the spot for the third time that day, Jim let his eyes move from side to side and he noticed for the first time that the footsteps of their companions had died away. There was, however, a rustle from somewhere to his left and when he heard the horrifyingly familiar _click-click-clicking_ that signaled reptilian company, he understood.

"Duck, right?" he said softly to Wash.

"Now would be a good time, yeah."

Wash fired as soon as Jim's head fell from her eyeline and shot off two more rounds from her sonic pistol as the creature turned tail and chased into the thick bushes again. The breath she didn't know she was holding escaped her in a long, heavy sigh and she scanned the area for other possible threats. Her team was nowhere to be seen and she figured they must have made a run for it in the commotion.

"How about that change of underwear now," she said as she turned to Jim once again. He was curled up on the ground, holding onto his hand. Wash rushed over to kneel beside him. "Hey, Shannon, are you okay? Are you hurt?" She asked as she turned him over onto his back.

"Aaaaghhh," he groaned at her touch, his face pulled up in a grimace. Wash's eyes moved over him quickly, looking for blood or any kind of wound but didn't find it. "I think I – aaaagghhh…"

"Shannon, talk to me, where are you hurt?" Her voice was filled with concern as she lifted his head onto her lap. The lieutenant's worst fear was that he had internal bleeding of some sort. Making it back through the jungle with that kind of injury was virtually impossible. He would be dead before they reached Terra Nova. Jim groaned again, louder this time, and she cupped his face in her hands as she bent low over his face. "Oh god, Shannon, you gotta help me out here, I can't see where you're hurt."

"It's my – my finger," he said with exaggerated difficulty.

"Your… finger?" she asked slowly, her brows furrowed in confusion and she looked at the hand he was holding onto quite tightly.

"Yeah, it – it bent over the wrong way when I fell," Jim managed to explain eventually.

"Is it broken? Let me see."

"No."

"Let me see it," she said more sternly after he pulled away.

"No, not broken. But dammit do you have any idea how much it hurts when you overbend your finger?" He opened one eye to check Wash's face, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his lips. Realizing he was pulling one over on her, Wash abruptly pushed his head from her lap and rose quickly, aiming a soft kick at his middle.

"Ow!"

"Jesus, Shannon, I thought you were hurt. We're out in the open with Nycos on the hunt and you decide you wanna mess around?"

Jim was laughing openly now as he got up slowly and dusted the earth and leaves from his clothes. In fact, he was laughing so much he couldn't straighten up and stood hunched over instead, his hands resting on his knees. Wash shook her head in disbelief but couldn't fight the smile that was now on her face as well; it was a well-played out prank she had to admit.

"Wash," the lieutenant's comm sounded in her pants pocket and she reached for it quickly. "Lt. Washington! Come in, are you there?"

"Talk to me, Reynolds, I want numbers," she responded, keeping her eyes trained on the thick cover of trees around them. Jim was doing the same, making sure to stand closer to her this time.

"Uh, we had to take cover on the lee side. Eight legs, all fine. You?"

"Four legs," she said back into the comm and then added, "Two of which are annoying the crap outta me, wanna trade?" Jim rolled his eyes as Reynold's laughter filtered back to them.

"Nah I think I'm set, thanks. Tell Shannon I say hi though." Wash flashed a mischievous grin at Jim, who feigned deep offence at being guessed to be the annoying one she was referring to.

"Techron Team, can you quit horsing around so I can give you my numbers?" A different voice carried through Wash's comm and she recognized it as one of her men.

"What's your location, Durrham?"

"We took to the canopies half a click south. Six legs, two of which can't climb a tree for shit." Loud laughter came through the comm from what was likely the other men he had with him. "Oh, and tell Shannon I say hi too," he added to more laughter.

"So we're down three, any sightings?" she asked. Two simultaneous no's sounded back to her and Jim saw her jaw clench tightly. "Fine, you guys move on to the cube and I'll circle around to try and find them," she ended and replaced the comm in her pocket, looking up at Jim crestfallen.

"It's not full dark yet," she said to his questioning face. "We have about an hour and then we should think about moving on."

"Don't you think we should think about moving on round about now?" he asked uncertainly, not wanting to be out there a minute longer. "I mean, we don't even know if they –"

"Let's start out this way," Wash interrupted him and started walking. "If they scattered, this is the most likely direction they would've ran."

Jim started to protest but the lieutenant's form was already disappearing between the trees. "Of all the bad ideas I've heard in my life, this is by far the worst," he called after her as he hurried to catch up.

* * *

><p>"We tried," Jim said to her in the most consoling tone he could manage. After a day out in the jungle his nerves were shot, he was tired and hungry and the sight of the Techron research cube ahead made his heart sing.<p>

"I've never left a man behind," she answered flatly. "Tonight I've left three." A heavy silence followed her statement.

Jim knew better than to try to follow that up with any form of assurance. He knew the feeling and he knew that there was nothing anyone could say to make you feel better in that situation. It was tough being a leader and this was one of the reasons why – the hard decisions. But night was already thick all around them and staying out any longer would only risk their own lives as well. Besides, they couldn't use any form of artificial light in fear of being spotted by Slashers or Nycos and so finding anything in the dense jungle was virtually impossible even an hour before. Still, Jim didn't argue and gave Wash his full support in the search for her lost men. However, after knocking back bushes and branches they had come up empty handed and he was grateful when Wash announced they give up and head back to the cube. All he could think about was lying down without fear of being mauled to death. Something to eat was not a bad idea either. He watched as she punched in the code to the cube's entrance, albeit a lot harder than was necessary and the door unhinged with a sigh. Following her in, Jim noticed that the room was in total darkness. The remainder of the team should have been there by now and the lack of activity inside made his heart sink past the knot of hunger in his stomach. He flipped a switch but nothing happened. Still, he flipped it three more times in the hope that determination will make the room flood with light. It didn't.

"There's a portable chem light in your ruck," came Wash's voice from a few feet in front of him. She was already completely swallowed by the dark of the room.

Jim shrugged the pack off his back and started rustling around inside it. Seconds later the room was awash in a dim glow, not much but enough that he could make out specific objects. The central comm in the middle of the floor was completely shut down.

"Sixers," Wash said simply. "They must've cut the lines and taken the power cells."

There was a single bunk in the far right corner of the room and a small cooling chest a few feet to his left. He hoped he would find some food in there but his heart sank when he checked and found it empty. They had packed minimally and he knew that preference was given to medical supplies seeing that they would be out after dark and needed to be prepared for injuries. Ironic that hunger surpassed physical injury, Jim thought and gave a caustic chuckle. He looked up to see Wash standing at a desk against the wall on the far left, she seemed to be rifling through reams of paper and other kinds of junk. Jim placed the chem light down on the dead central comm station and walked over to her.

"Hey, what are you thinking?" he said softly, knowing the answer but not having a better attempt at conversation at that moment. She didn't respond and kept her head low, staring at a sheet of paper in her hands that she couldn't discern because of the low lighting. He touched her arm lightly, almost not at all. "Wash?"

"They should've been here by now," she said eventually and then turned to look up at him. Jim was struck by the softness of her features in the low light; it was uncharacteristic of the hardened soldier he had come to know since arriving at Terra Nova. Something about that made him want to reach out to her, but he knew that she would most likely brush it off. Alicia Washington didn't strike him as the kind of person who easily let people in.

"Why don't you try for radio contact?" Jim asked. "I'm sure there's an explanation." He didn't think this was true but needed to say it for her sake. He could see on Wash's face that she probably felt the same but she removed the comm from her pocket anyway.

"Techron team, this is your lieutenant," it came out all choked and she stopped and waited, the silence in the room seemed to weigh down on her by each passing second.

"Lieutenant! Thank god!" the comm suddenly came to life in her hand and Wash heaved a sigh of relief at the sound of Reynold's voice.

"Where the hell are you?" she asked urgently, the hardness of her tone returning instantly and the character of a softer, emotional lieutenant now a mere shadow in the darkened room.

"We got driven about two clicks off course thanks to some hungry visitors. Met up with Durrham and took cover in one of the caves on the south side. I waited for you to make contact because I figured you were out there and the noise from your comm might draw unnecessary attention," he ended and Wash and Jim shared a looked of understanding. "We did a head count and it's the rookies out there, Lieutenant," he ended.

"We haven't tracked them yet," she responded. "Going to stay at the cube until first light and then work back. You guys take the east path and keep an eye out."

"Will do," Reynolds said. "Oh and Lieutenant, next time let's not take the Nyco territory for our Night Walk."

"I'll see you back at Terra Nova," Wash said lightly and signed off.

"Rookies, do you honestly think there'll be anything left to find?"

"I'm not going to not look for my guys, Shannon. You'd do the same. Besides, it'll be daylight so the biggest threat out there will be the sun."

Jim looked unconvinced but didn't make further argument, the sooner he got home the better. He went to lay on the single cot that seemed to be meant for a child because his feet dangled way over the edge when he stretched out.

"You hungry?" Wash's voice came from right beside him. Jim opened his eyes to find her standing over him with some kind of fruit stretched out in her hand. "You need to keep your strength up," she persisted when he made no move to take it.

"Fine," he said finally and sat up, making room for her to sit beside him. The two sat in silence for a while, munching on various fruit and nuts.

"Which brings me to my next question," Wash said suddenly, smiling at Jim.

"Oh, you decided to join in with the conversation in my head? Great! What's your question?"

"Night walks aren't compulsory," she said as she leaned back against the wall behind her, pushing the remains of their makeshift meal over to his side. "and you're a family man so… why volunteer for something that will take you away from them and most likely endanger you?"

"Taylor needed the man power and I –"

"Bullshit," Wash interrupted him.

"You can't bullshit me before I even finish what I'm saying."

"I can if I know it's bullshit," she said with a smirk. Jim nodded and smiled slowly, knowing that he had been caught out. If anything, Wash was good at reading people and he knew he was better off not lying to her.

"Geez, you couldn't start with what's my favorite color?" he joked but quickly became serious again, sighing heavily before continuing. "Elizabeth and I, just lately… we haven't been in a good space I guess. All thanks to a certain douche bag scientist who shall go unnamed for now."

"Yeah? I wouldn't have pegged her for the cheating type."

"She's not," Jim corrected her instantly. "At least, that I know of. It's just… they have a past and I recently found out that he has an agenda. Basically he's the reason we got called up."

"Heavy," was the short response from Wash.

"I don't know, I just needed time on my own… clear my head… you know?" The silence from before was back again as Jim placed the pack with the food on the ground and rested against the wall beside Wash. "Wanna cuddle?"

"Shut up, Shannon," she said with a jab of her elbow to his ribs that set Jim laughing. "You should get some sleep."

"I'm not tired," he replied. "Besides, who will keep you company?"

"Do you ever stop talking?"

"Do you ever relax?" he challenged back.

"We're in the open jungle, probably surrounded by hungry Nycos and you want me to relax?"

"You don't smile much."

"Again, open jungle – not much to smile about."

"I mean in general."

"I'm a soldier. That's what I came here to do," she answered shortly, keeping her gaze in her lap. Jim, however, kept his unshifting gaze on her.

"And when you're not? A soldier I mean."

"Didn't I ask you to stop talking?" she asked with irritation, looking at him this time.

"No, you asked me if I ever stop talking," Jim responded with a grin.

"Well, now I'm asking."

"Come on, Wash, we're stuck in here for at least seven hours. If a Nyco doesn't kill me, boredom will."

"Ok I'm not asking anymore. Shut up, Shannon."

"I can see why Taylor likes you, why you're his right hand man – I mean woman," he carried on, ignoring Wash's plea for silence. Pressing her buttons was more entertaining than sitting around doing nothing and Jim wasn't about to give up now. "You're solid, constantly in soldier mode. It's good for him and it's good for the colony."

"It's not a mode; it's who I am," Wash replied simply.

"I feel a story coming on…" Jim teased.

"Carry on and I'll kill you before boredom can."

Jim chuckled and his hard work paid off when a smile broke onto the lieutenant's face and she started laughing too. A sudden sense of kinship formed between the two at that moment that both Jim and Wash became aware of. He was seeing a side to her that he doubted any had seen before and felt privileged for it; the fact that she felt safe enough to open up to him meant a lot. The question of why it meant a lot occurred to Jim but he pushed it out of his mind and decided to simply enjoy it while it lasted, which wasn't long…

A quick succession of knocks thundered through the cube that made both Wash and Jim jump in their skin.

"What the hell was that?" he asked and jumped up, his gun aimed at the entrance where the sound came from. Wash rose slowly and tentatively walked toward the door, her own weapon raised. "Wash-" he whispered tersely as a warning for her to not go any closer. She didn't give any sign that she heard him but stopped advancing nonetheless, her ears trained for more noises. There weren't any.

"I'm going out," Wash said suddenly and turned to get the medipack lying on the ground.

"No you're not," Jim responded as he bounded forward to block her path. Wash surveyed him with a look of irritation as she shrugged the medipack on.

"What if it's them," she said. "They know we were headed here. Maybe they got chased off course and made their way back." She tried to push past him but Jim gripped both her arms tightly.

"Wash, listen to me, it's suicide going out there now. We have no reason to believe that's your men."

"Let go of me," she persisted but Jim held on.

"Just think about it – rookies out in the open jungle… what are the chances of them surviving an attack on their own and then making it all the way back here?" She didn't say anything but Jim saw a flash of hesitation behind her eyes. "Come on, this is crazy."

"Fine," she said, not sounding too happy about it and Jim finally let his hands fall from her arms.

"Maybe we should just-" the end of his sentence was lost as Wash shoved him aside and ran for the door. "Wash! What are you-" he saw her key in the exit code and the door sighed open. Knowing that this was yet another argument he would not be winning that day, Jim ran to follow her.

"You know, I changed my mind," he said softly as he came up behind her. "Of all the bad ideas I've heard in my life, this…"

"Shhh," Wash quieted him as she stepped gingerly out of the cube, rifle raised and eyes darting from side to side for the slightest hint of movement.

"See? It wasn't them. Probably hungry, scary, beastly, claw-y –"

"Shannon, could you shut up?"

He obliged and the two made their way into the little bit of clearing outside the cube. Jim was having a hard time determining shadows from actual objects and wondered how they were supposed to survive anything in those conditions. He uttered a curse at the lieutenant's stubbornness under his breath.

"Guys," she called into one of the nearby bushes, as loud as she dared which wasn't loud at all. She knew better than anyone the kind of risk they were taking leaving the safety of the cube but Wash was determined to recover her lost soldiers. Just the thought of facing their families back at Terra Nova was already eating her up inside and that is why she held onto the feint hope that they were okay. Somehow, they had to be okay.

"Uh, Wash," Jim's voice came from behind her. It was calm and steady and that is why the sight that met her when she turned to him evoked the deepest sense of shock-horror that she had felt in a long time.

Three inquisitive Nycos were nosing around the open door of the cube. Jim pushed away the guilty thought that they had had their fill of unsuspecting rookies and might not be hungry. He backed up slowly until he felt Wash's bare arm brush against his, not daring to take his eyes off the claw-y, possibly hungry beasts.

They stood that way for what seemed like forever but in reality was all of a few seconds, willing their bodies to forego the physical inclination to breathe. Any sound could attract the attention of the Nycos and outrunning even one of those creatures was a long shot, they were looking at three.

Suddenly, and without warning, Jim and Wash were looking into the questioning eyes of the one closest to them. Jim felt his entire body freeze up as the questioning gaze flashed red and the creature let out a loud chatter in communication to his friends. Wash knew what that meant, he was calling them to hunt, and most likely there would be more of them close by who would also be joining them soon. Her survival instinct kicked into gear with one simple word, whispered softly and restrained to the shaking cop by her side:

"Run."

The raptors were quick but Jim and Wash gave everything they could in their retreat and the few seconds head start they got gave them a good gap. The size of the raptors' gait however, meant that that gap was closing pretty quickly.

"Hard left!" Wash shouted and when Jim looked for her, she had already made a cut through the bushes. He pushed hard to catch up.

"Shannon?" she called, not daring to slow down and look around.

"I'm with you! Just keep going!"

The footfalls of the beasts behind them spurred them on even harder and when it felt like she was running fast enough to leave her head behind, Wash's foot stumped a bulk hidden in the undergrowth and she sprawled forward, gathering a mouthful of dirt as she face-planted. Turning quickly onto her back, she recognized the mauled remains of one of her rookies and her voice caught in her throat. She wanted to scream but couldn't. A strong arm slid under hers and dragged her back onto her feet. Looking up, Wash saw Jim fire random shots into the air and turned to see the creatures screech and fall back a little.

"You don't have a lot of time to get your clumsy ass in gear, Lieutenant," he said and pulled her along as they started running again. Wash took one quick glance over her shoulder at the body that had abruptly brought her down and felt her heart sink. It almost certainly meant that Jim was right and none of them had survived. She wasn't sure why that surprised her but it did, somehow she had hoped by some semblance of luck they would have found a way to safety.

She pulled to free her wrist from Jim's grip and sped up. Not hardly a second passed when they could hear the screeching and thundering steps of the raptors who had continued their pursuit.

"The caves," she said, out of breath.

"Lead the way."

Jim followed Wash as she took a sharp turn to her right and before he could call out, she had disappeared from his sight. He quickly turned and went off at the advancing raptors with his sonic blaster and waited to see them fall back again before peering over the edge of the steep slope that was precariously hidden in the bushes. He caught glimpses of Wash's body as it was limply tossed between huge roots and boulders as she rolled, his face pulling up into a painful grimace with every knock she took.

Without a second thought as to how he would scale the slope without doing himself the same harm, Jim quickly started after her, his tentative footing fast becoming skidding as the earth gave way beneath him. Using his hands as makeshift brakes and his feet to kick at obstacles, Jim eventually found the bottom of the slope as he landed in a heap a few feet from an unmoving Wash. Ignoring his own pain, he clambered over to her on all fours and moved her over onto her back.

Her face was covered in dirt and blood but when Jim moved his eyes over the rest of her body he knew that was the least of her worries. Besides the obvious gashes to her bare arms, a stain of blood was slowly starting to saturate her tank top and he figured the wound on her side must have a few broken ribs to go along with it.

"Wash," he said and the brush of his fingers to her cheek was gentle even though his tone was urgent and terrified. Her eyes fluttered open momentarily and then squeezed tightly shut again as she suddenly became aware of her injuries.

"Help me up," she said through gritted teeth.

"You know," Jim started as he heaved her to her feet with some difficulty. "-if I had known you were this clumsy I would've stuck with the other guys."

"Shut up, Shannon."

"Can you walk?" he asked, knowing the answer but asking anyway. He saw that her right thigh must have been punctured as well because her camo pants were already darkening as the blood soaked through it.

"Let's go," she replied and started limping, pulling Jim who was supporting most of her weight along with her.

"I think they're gone," he said in a bid to slow her down. "Why don't we just take a minute and let me clean you up?"

"Can't handle a dirty girl, Shannon?" Wash asked playfully enough but Jim could hear the pain in her voice as she struggled along.

"Oh I can handle - wait, are you flirting with me?"

"Are you flirting back?"

"Let's just… get to the cave so I can take a look at you," Jim replied in a conscious effort to avert the conversation. Was he about to flirt with her? Where did that come from? He shook his head to try and bring his focus back to the matter at hand and carried on walking in silence.

The lieutenant made no argument to the change of subject, mostly because speaking took a lot out of her. Jim was holding onto her really tightly but for all his support, she could barely take the pain that was shooting up her leg in sharp, hot bursts. Wash clenched her jaw and tried to keep her focus on making the fifteen minute walk to higher ground and hopefully safety. Raptors very rarely ignored the smell of dinner and now that she was leaving a pungent blood trail with every limping step, Wash knew that they were far from safe.

* * *

><p><strong>A bit long but the set up is necessary for what follows :) I know this pairing is probably the most non-canon thing but they just jumped out at me for some reason and I'm letting my muse have fun with it. I urge you to do the same! <strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to all who read and reviewed! Your input is always welcome and much appreciated :D This chapter is much shorter than the first but that's because things will be moving along a lot faster now. Who'm I kidding...? I just want them to do it ;p**

* * *

><p>It took longer than Jim first thought it would for them to get to the caves on the south side. With Wash barely being able to limp let alone climb the steep and ragged ascent to safety, the hike that should have taken a few minutes turned out to be more strenuous. Once he had her sitting against the inside wall, Jim got to starting a grim fire. They had left the chem light behind and the supplies in the medi pack were not that great for survival with bare minimum. A few years as a boy scout stood the former cop in good stead though and they at least had some light if not much warmth.<p>

There was a sense of safety in the cave and the knowledge that there was a team of soldiers somewhere close to them even though the dead night was not so dead. Every few minutes loud screeches and clicking sounds would usher up through the canopies and carry on the light breeze, echoing on the curved walls around them; the sound making the hair on Jim's arms stand on end.

"Let me see," he said as he crouched beside Wash and made to lift her tank top.

"I can do it," she moaned softly and used what little energy she had left to swat his hand from her torso.

"Let me-" he persisted but was met with another smack to his hand.

"Would you quit fussing?"

"I'm really close to punching you right about now."

"Excuse me?" Wash surveyed him with raised eyebrows.

"I'm going to knock you out and then I'm going to look at the damage. Or you can just let me…" Jim explained.

"I've seen you throw a punch, Shannon. You hit like a girl." Her speech was slow and drained.

"Ooo, someone gets grumpy when they're bleeding to death," he teased and smiled as he saw Wash visibly relax. He was scared but worked hard to not show it too much. She didn't look like she was in good shape but Jim knew that Wash had the tenacity to get through this. There was just a lot of blood. So much blood and he didn't know what to do about it.

"Fine," she gave in finally. "If it'll get you to shut up."

"Probably not but you've already said it's okay so… take your shirt off."

"I can't remember the last time I heard those words," Wash said with a chuckle.

"I find that hard to believe," Jim's voice was low when he spoke and his eyes caught hers for a split second before he lowered them again, afraid she might see what he was thinking. "Need a hand?" he asked as he watched her struggle to rip through the hole in her tank top.

Tearing it off would be the best solution if she had broken any ribs because that would make lifting it over her arms impossible. His words were barely cold however, when the milky white of her torso suddenly appeared and for a moment he didn't notice the jagged and bloodied wound that ran the length of her middle like it outlined one of her ribs. His eyes instead caught on the flash of black that signaled the start of her bra and his thoughts raced to that forbidden place once again.

"How bad is it?" her voice brought him back to the moment.

"I'm thinking of an exit strategy that won't hurt your feelings too much."

"What?"

"Well, you're losing a lot of blood and probably won't make it. Sticking around will just put a giant X on my back for any Slashers sniffing for food so I was thinking-" his teasing was cut short with a slap to the side of his head and he started laughing.

"I would tell you to shut up if I thought you'd listen," Wash said, the strain of her injuries coming through in her voice and the sound of it made Jim sober up a bit.

"Let me clean it up," he said and groped around the medi pack for some gauze. "I think it looks worse than it is."

"It feels like it's as bad as it looks," Wash commented.

"Aw, you can handle a few broken ribs, can't you?" he was dripping clean water over the wound and brushing bits of blood away, wincing every time Wash did. Careful not to use too much of the only bottle of water they had, Jim dripped it sparingly to save some for her thigh.

"Bruised not broken," she replied through gritted teeth. "I've had broken ribs."

"Of course you have," Jim teased again; he felt like if he kept the mood light it would help somehow. At least it made him feel less out of his depth. "Okay," he said, throwing the third blood-soaked piece of gauze to the ground. "You were right."

"What, you really do hit like a girl?"

"It's bad," Jim replied, not bothering to comment on Wash's attempt at banter. He was scared and now he didn't care if she knew it. The bleeding wasn't stopping and they were going through their minimal supplies quickly.

"There should be a sealant in the pack," she said, mirroring his seriousness. "It's temporary but it should hold until we get back."

Jim rifled through the pack nervously, holding every bottle he touched up to the lame light of the meager fire to his right so that he could read the label. The lieutenant kept her eyes on his face the whole time, the way his jaw was clenched in concentration and how his slightly parted lips let out short breaths whenever he realized he had been holding it for too long. She understood that the ex cop was in way over his head but suddenly appreciated the fact that she was stuck with him and no one else. Jim Shannon would fight for her. Jim Shannon would make it his business to get her back to the colony alive.

"Sealant!" Jim shouted and crawled back to crouch beside her again. "What am I supposed to do with this?"

"It's supposed to stop the - fuck..." her words ran cold as she sucked in her breath against the sudden pain erupting on her torso.

Jim had squeezed a few drops onto the open wound and it was all she could do to keep from screaming. He quickly grabbed a fresh piece of gauze to cover it, layering it with two more pieces before taping it haphazardly into place. He was breathing hard and looked at his work closely; the top sheet of gauze remained clear, which meant that the bleeding had slowed if not stopped. He let out a heavy sigh and hung his head as he rocked back to sit down, resting his head on his knee.

"One down, Shannon. Don't make me die on you."

"Not funny," he said looking up and Wash saw on his face that he didn't appreciate that last bit. His sincerity struck her then, how he actually cared about what happened to her.

"You should know that whatever you do is going to leave a scar, so just make sure it's kickass. I have a reputation to uphold." She tried to lighten the mood again, using everything she had to simply string a sentence together. It was tiring - talking, trying to be okay – but she was a fighter and wasn't about to go out by something as pansy assed as a fall when most others had the honor of being taken out by one of the monsters of the jungle. She deserved better than that.

"And as the life drained from her beautiful being," Jim said in an exaggerated narration voice, as if he were doing a documentary, "Lieutenant Alicia Washington remained as hardcore as ever; a symbol of badass and motherfuckery like you've never seen." This last made them both start laughing, although Wash started but then stopped abruptly at the pain it induced, letting her approving smile linger instead. She loved his sense of humor and more importantly his timing with it. It made her feel comfortable, like she'd known him her whole life.

"Beautiful being, huh?" she asked and his laughter died down, a shy smile replacing it.

"Yeah well," he was looking down, drawing patterns in the sand at his feet with his finger and so didn't notice immediately when the lieutenant's eyes fell closed despite her efforts to tell him that she didn't feel so good.

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><p><strong>I told you it was short... :p But an update will be coming very very soon!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3

**A huge thanks to all those who read and reviewed:) It's always encouraging hearing some positive feedback and I'm pretty stoked I'm not the only one curious about how this pairing will turn out. Sorry for the delayed upload but there was RL and then that god forsaken finale to deal with... I've pretty much convinced myself that my Wash is okay though and now I can continue playing with her in the way I like best :p This one is a bit of a transition chapter that brings them back to the colony but there is at least some relationship development. Enjoy!**

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><p>"Open the gate! Open the gate!" The call from the watch tower bellowed and the gate to Terra Nova rolled open lazily, as if it didn't understand the urgency of its dying lieutenant.<p>

Jim Shannon was running, running like his life depended on it. No, he was running like Alicia Washington's did. She was cradled in his arms like a groom would carry his new bride over the threshold into the beginning of their new life together. Only, there wasn't much life left in Wash; her arms dangled listlessly beneath her and Jim did all he could to keep her head supported but that too, was lolling back and forth.

It was barely dawn – the sun was still hitting its last snooze and the light was charcoal grey, the threat of daylight on the horizon when the form of a man appeared in view of the watch towers of the colony. When he was a few hundred feet away they could identify him and the form in his arms as the unconscious Lt. Washington.

Every fatigued step Jim took was forced along by desperation. He had nothing left except the fight to get her inside the gates to safety. Wash was tough; the odds were at least in her favour for that. He wasn't prepared to let her down. He wasn't prepared to be the reason she didn't make it.

"Take her…please… just..." Jim fell to his knees as soon as he set foot on Terra Novan soil, holding Wash up like a precious offering that needed the faintest of handling.

Within seconds he was surrounded by men he didn't bother to look at, keeping his eyes on the woman he needed to do right by as she was plucked from his arms and disappeared into a rover. He swayed on his knees as he watched the rover speed off in the direction of the infirmary and then, once the knowledge that she would be taken care of was lodged in his mind, he fell to the ground, no longer aware of anything happening around him.

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><p>His wife's was the first face he saw when next he opened his eyes. The amount of light in the infirmary told Jim that he had been out for quite some time. Elizabeth smiled down at him but he didn't think to return it.<p>

"Alicia," the only word in his head was the first word out of his mouth as he tried to sit up.

"Jim, wait," Elizabeth said as she pushed him back onto the bio bed. "Don't try to get up just yet, you've been through a hell of an ordeal."

"Where is she? Is she okay?" His impatience and frustration was clear in his tone as he spoke.

"She's fine," Elizabeth responded, keeping her voice low and calm. "You need to take it easy."

Jim obeyed his wife's orders only because he really did feel drained and knew that he wouldn't make it up even if he tried. Cutting through the jungle while it was still dark did more than mess with his head, it forced him to push his body to limits he didn't know and now he was paying the price. The idea that he braved the dark and in the way that he did astounded him as he thought back, but at the time there was nothing on his mind save the fact that he needed to get Wash proper help. No Slasher or Nyco would've been able to stop him from that.

"Is she okay?" he spoke softer this time, the urgency left his voice and moved to his eyes as he implored Elizabeth.

"She lost a lot of blood," she started solemnly, knowing that it was best to be straight forward and truthful with her husband. "By the time you got here she had gone in to shock."

"Is she okay?" Jim asked again, his tone betraying his attempt at resolve by revealing a bit of his panic. For some reason he couldn't read Elizabeth's face and suddenly the thought that Wash didn't make it became a reality for the first time. The horror of it all settled like a boulder in the pit of his stomach.

"There was some kind of foreign infection she must have picked up from the fall. The dehydration didn't help much either and played a part in her arrest."

_Her heart stopped? Oh god, she died. Wash was dead and it was his fault._ Jim felt the breath slowly leave his lungs and Elizabeth's face started to move out of focus as his mind struggled to find a grip on some semblance of reality. _She can't be dead. Not after everything. She can't be…_ and Elizabeth's voice started filtering to him again.

"It was a battle but she's stable now," her words resonated deep within him and Jim felt the knot in his stomach start to ease up for the first time. "She hasn't regained consciousness yet so we'll know more once she wakes up."

He lay his head back onto the pillow and covered his face with both his hands to catch the huge sigh of relief as it escaped his lips. Wash was alive. That much he had managed to get right. Now he would have to wait until she woke up to see just how good or bad she was doing.

"What the hell were you thinking, Jim?" his wife's voice commanded his attention again. He opened his eyes to see her punching the invisi-screen above the bio bed he was on, probably checking his vitals. Although, she worked with more irritation than he assumed was necessary and knew it was because of him. "Running through the jungle at night, with no protection, not stopping to rest, eat or drink." She minimized the screen and held his gaze. "You could've died."

"But I didn't." He responded stubbornly.

"Jim-"

"And she didn't either," he continued before Elizabeth could argue. "That's what I was thinking. That's why I did what I did."

"You could've both died for that matter. It was stupid and irresponsible. She was practically dead when you got here-"

"But she isn't now, and neither am I, so why are we even having this conversation?"

He watched as she pursed her lips in frustration and knew that she wouldn't say more. For now. The look in her eyes said that she was far from finished but Jim accepted the bit of peace he managed to fight for and closed his eyes.

"Go home and get some sleep," he didn't open his eyes when she spoke but knew that she was heading away from him. "You'll probably need another few hours before you feel back to your old self." Her footsteps marked her departure and Jim opened one eye to double check. He was worn out, no doubt, but he couldn't go home without first checking on Wash.

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><p>A nurse was emerging from behind the only curtain drawn around a bed and Jim figured that had to be where Wash lay. He approached her slowly, only because he was still a bit unstable on his feet and she looked up at him questioningly.<p>

"Is that the lieutenant?"

"Yes, she's only just woken up but not ready for visitors," she stated firmly. "Dr. Shannon has to see her first."

He nodded and waited for the nurse to disappear from his line of sight before completely disobeying her. Pulling the curtains slowly aside so as not to attract too much attention, Jim slipped behind it and covered himself in the protective enclave. Wash lay on the bio bed, her eyes closed, breathing slow and steady. She seemed peaceful and so small, he thought; not at all the tough guy soldier he was accustomed to dealing with.

They had cut away the ripped clothes she had been wearing and replaced them with a standard hospital gown. Jim let his eyes take in the length of her, lingering on her long bare legs. There were a few healing scratches but for the most part they were blemish free, the worst scar laying hidden under the gown on her inner thigh. There had not been enough sealant to close that wound and in his panic, Jim had haphazardly covered it with gauze before scooping her up and making his way back to the colony. He tentatively reached out for her, fighting his first impulse to grab her at the shoulders and shake her awake. He did, however, give in to lightly brushing her fingers with his instead. Wash's eyelids fluttered open at his touch and a soft smile played on her lips once her gaze found him.

"Hey, remember that time I saved your life?" he said cheekily, his relief showing unbidden on his face.

"I don't think you'll let me forget it," Wash spoke softly and managed a tired smile.

"Not a chance."

Jim was relieved to see her smile. She didn't look like she was in much pain but for the whole, it seemed the lieutenant would come out of this ordeal quite fine. _Thanks to Elizabeth_, he thought. Suddenly his hand on Alicia's sent a pang of guilt through him and he quickly withdrew it, hoping the movement would go unnoticed. For the most part, it did. Wash didn't give him any sign that she was even aware of his touch in the first place.

"People are saying you're some kind of hero," she spoke again. "Carrying me through the jungle in the dead of night…"

"Tell them the statue should be in bronze, if they ask. Right in the middle of the square should be about right."

"Statue?" Wash repeated and struggled to suppress a chuckle. It hurt to laugh. "If I were Taylor, maybe. I'm not as valuable."

"Something tells me you'll be just as missed," Jim challenged sincerely. "Anyway, I'll settle for being just your hero then. You know, because I saved your life and all." He let out a light snigger but fell silent when he noticed Wash's serious expression. "You okay?" His resolve quickly gave way to his growing concern.

"Jim… thank you… for not going ahead with your exit strategy. That would've sucked."

"You remember that?" he asked, relieved again that she was fine.

"I remember everything." She looked deep into his eyes as she spoke and this time her hand found his and Jim made no move to pull away.

She had noticed then. She had been aware of his touch. He looked down at their hands and their entwined fingers and a heavy sadness filled him that his mind couldn't really process at that moment. Wash was alive and well and he was happy. Why then, did he wish they were back in the jungle? Away from Terra Nova and everyone in it? He took a deep breath and tried to regain some composure before speaking again.

"Everything, huh? Including the part where I risked my life to save yours?"

"That part, that's a bit of a blur actually."

"Well I'm more than happy to fill in the blanks for you."

"I'm sure you are." Wash stifled the laugh building up in her middle again. Her side was tender and although her pain wasn't too bad, she could feel a bit of discomfort. She felt good though, for having Jim there and mostly for having things be pretty much back to normal between them.

Going OTG was always a high pressure situation; the immediate risk to your life intensified any emotion felt. Add to that her brush with death and you're left with a playful attraction that was once benign becoming a time bomb that simply had no place back inside the gates of the colony. Wash understood that and she knew that it was her responsibility to make Jim understand that too. No matter what might have happened out there, it was important that it be left alone and things go back to normal. Normal is good. It's safe.

"I was so worried about you," Jim's voice pushed whatever other thoughts right out of her head. His tone was far from the playful one from only a few moments ago when he was teasing her. She knew by the sound of it and the look on his face that he was taking a minute to be sincere. For some reason it scared her and she got her defenses up.

"Jim-"

"One minute you were fine and the next… I don't even know how I got here," he said, not looking at her at all but keeping his gaze on their hands as his fingers stroked hers absentmindedly. "The last thing I remember is trying to wake you up and when I couldn't… I was so scared I…" he let the end of his sentence fade away and just shook his head slowly, as if he were trying to rid himself of the memory altogether.

The reality of what he must have gone through really hit home with Wash as she looked into his face and the pained expression all over it. She couldn't begin to imagine what must have been going through his mind and then for him to just hurtle through the darkness that way… It could either be described as extremely stupid or extremely brave. She surveyed him with a soft smile and decided that in his case it was the latter. Always with Jim, she thought, it would be the latter. The warm feeling rising up in her middle brought her attention back to the moment and Wash checked herself, withdrawing her hand from his and making no effort to be subtle about it. The sudden shift made him finally look up at her, puzzled.

"Alicia?"

"Don't call me that… don't -" she responded, now shifting her gaze away from his.

"Don't what?" Jim shot back, his confusion brimming with slight irritation. He could sense her withdrawal, that wall she was so famous for had gone up and he had no idea why.

"It's just," she started hesitantly as she tried to find an explanation that would work, "when you're OTG… things have a way of-"

"We're not OTG," he interrupted.

"Exactly."

"What? I have no idea what you're trying to say."

"It's complicated," was all she offered.

"Well I've got nothing but time so you can explain it to me. You owe me that much." This time Wash knew that his allusion to saving her life was not meant as a joke, he meant it. And he was right. She did owe him; she would probably never stop owing him. In fact, that was part of what scared her a little.

"Jim? I thought I told you to go home," it was only when Elizabeth spoke that they both realized they were no longer alone. They were so caught up in each other that they didn't even notice the curtain being pulled back.

"I'm on my way. Just wanted to check in with the lieutenant before I left."

"I really wish you hadn't. You need to rest."

"I feel fine," he argued, not ready to leave just yet.

"Well then feel fine some place else, do you mind?" she motioned for him to leave and after exchanging a somber look with Wash that indicated he was far from through, Jim obeyed, closing the curtain behind him again.

"How are you feeling, Lieutenant?" Elizabeth asked as she brought up the invisi-screen and checked Wash's vitals.

"I feel okay, just tired I guess."

"Your body's been through quite an ordeal. You seem to be on the path to recovery though," she said and turned her attention to Wash for the first time after minimizing the invisi-screen again.

"When can I go home?"

"Lt Washington, I think it's best if you just take some time to rest first. You had a bad case of blood poisoning when Jim brought you in and you lost a lot of blood between there and here. He did a good job with the wound on your ribs but the one on your leg is much worse." Wash winced as she tried to lift her leg from the bed and it felt like the flesh on her thigh protested in pain. "You lost quite a bit of muscle in your thigh; partly due to the fall but mostly because we just couldn't save it after it had been exposed for so long."

"So I can't walk?" her voice trembled when she spoke even though she had strictly commanded it not to.

"You can walk fine, but you will be in quite a bit of pain during the regeneration process. We're attempting to regrow the muscle to give you full function and also minimize the scarring." Elizabeth grabbed Wash's hand as it automatically reached down to lift her gown so she could inspect the scarring Elizabeth had alluded to. "Just concentrate on getting well," the doctor said.

Wash read her face as best she could. How bad could her leg be if Elizabeth didn't want her to see it? Why would she even try if she was going to see it one way or another. She gave in though and returned her hand to where it had been resting on her belly. Elizabeth relaxed visibly and continued.

"I've given you something for the pain which should last for a few more hours. Then you can leave but only to get right back into bed."

"When can I get back to work?"

"I'll speak to Commander Taylor about offering you light duty for the regeneration period and-"

"How long will that take? I'm no good at light duty."

"Muscle regeneration is a very painful process. The only reason I even considered it is because I have a feeling you can handle it and also because… well, the disfigurement would have caused more emotional distress in my opinion."

"So how long?" Wash persisted. She was trying to not let Elizabeth's words freak her out too much but keeping tough was getting harder. Especially after hearing "_disfigurement"_ and "_emotional distress"_ in the same sentence.

"Take a few days to rest up. Once you feel comfortable with the level of pain, you can go back. But strictly light duty until the process is complete. It will be about a week or so and the pain will pretty much be constant. I don't recommend any OTG activity in that condition." Wash felt herself nodding a little robotically at the doctor's instructions, thinking that she could probably bite through whatever pain and get back to full duty in no time.

"And don't think about pushing yourself too hard," Elizabeth said as if reading her mind. "I'm speaking to Commander Taylor tonight and I'll be telling him everything I've just told you."

"Thank you," Wash said simply, even though she cursed the ever efficient doctor somewhat for getting in the way of her plans.

She knew that Taylor would never risk her well being so lying to him would have been her only option. Now that option had faded because of the pending conversation Elizabeth was to have with him. It left her with no other choice but to take her healing slowly; which meant no more OTG and much more mundane little jobs around the colony.

"Get some sleep, then you can go home to get some more," Elizabeth said with a light chuckle. "I will keep checking in until you leave but if you experience any pain higher than a seven you should call me right away, okay?"

"Yessir," Wash responded with a salute and watched Elizabeth disappear behind the curtain again.

"Muscle regeneration-" Jim didn't get a chance to finish his smart ass remark because his head had been taken in some sort of vice grip that pinned him to the bio bed, his throat completely closed off. Flailing his free arm wildly, he tried to ease Wash's grip around his neck.

"You looking to get yourself killed, Sheriff?" she asked as she released him finally. He straightened, both his hands massaging the area of his neck that had just been in peril.

"Guess that "never sneak up on a soldier" saying, there's a reason for that, huh?"

"I thought you'd gone home," she said slightly amused by him being flustered and propped herself up on her elbows. Taking him down had been more of a reflex than anything and now she was beginning to feel the exertion it had placed on her body.

"Of course I didn't go home, who else is going to sneak you out of here under my wife's watchful eye?"

Wash returned Jim's mischievous grin and was immediately grateful for her newfound partner in crime. At least he understood her inability to just lie in one place and do nothing. She accepted the scrubs he handed her and pushed herself into a sitting position with some effort.

"Need a hand?" Jim asked, feigning innocence but the cheeky grin on his face betrayed him. "I'm a master at getting pants off but what few people know is that I'm just as good at getting them on."

"Don't go changing, Sheriff," she said simply as she nudged him to the other side of the curtain, the playful smile in his eyes the last thing she saw before drawing the curtain again.

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><p><strong>Omg I love writing these two so much I'm finding it hard to live XD <strong>

**TBC **


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